AUSTRALIA'S DYNAMIC ELECTRONICS MONTHLY - %74 . tp ?Or' cOOF ,; 52.95 NZ $3.95 incl G.S.T. , e, DECEMBER 1988 TESTING SPEa CABLE - Is II genuineAKER upgra0e? ° . sU ATN-l's , .- , i RACECAM R 1\;i »0 __ . ° ,. y. _/ 1 aa - t . CULTIVATHG .=..... , `` . 3 , -i, (0.. ' .,.o ' __ BIOCHIPS r. WI C r . , O e, e 4i1. 1».'.,.-,.:-o . ..: " r., v . ' r IA !Si T r - - je Iu7 i " ° '~ .' yti"[. /I r ° _ $ -/J f . 0 C r . , ' L r j .G .. '7,;.\' d, ; 17. 't4' rn ' N.{ `° t t o ,8 S. % .' t.:.I I. I... X'', - . -,, ..o 'r .' I v .44 .+r :.'aaa' ü t c POWER SUPPLY : LOTTO SELECTOR NOISE REDUCTION . CRUSADER IS YOUR SUPPLY SOURCE _ WS6536E SOLUTION KEMET ® Is The Source Higher Production. Improved Solderability. Easier Inspection. Same Compact CKR06 Size! 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AutoCAil ® ¡s PCB oI . ---_ - ` - - _- ' ...o -;cr; . .:. : s...... 41i 4 The Auto -Board SATCAM .-s ---1-7>".1.n" System -r SATCAM is a powerful design -assist tool for the The Auto -Board System ca - ......... professional electronics provides the designer with a ipii' engineer. SATCAM incor- powerful design tool with the .!'iiii porates many features not capability of having a prototype ,_-__: r- found in generic PCB -CAD on your desk by the end of the -r :- packages, such as photo - day. :?' '. plotting, a comprehensive Schematic Capture: Creates symboUcomponent library and _ o . a schematic diagram to extract J CNC drill generation. Among interconnection information C .. its other features are: (netlist) and symbols to Fast Professional ... Australian Standards. 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Whether you are a small or large company, AutoCAD® and SATCAM or Auto -Board System can increase your productivity and enhance your creativity. 1'4>i° , AUTOCAD- NUMBER ONE IN AUSTRALIA " AND WORLDWIDE For further information or demonstration contact your nearest "Authorized AutoCAD Dealer" by contacting us at ... 136 BRIDE RD.. RICHMOND VICTORIA 3121 AUSTRALIA. .- PHONE: (03) 429 9888 TELEX: 30625 ME1400 The NCR PC8 Advanced Tech-, Houston Instruments have defined nology (AT) PC is an ideal CAD work- -the industry standard in low cost, high station with its 8 MHz 80286 quality plotting with its best selling, Al processor and native 640 by 400 size, 16 Os DMP-52 plotter. colour graphics.capability. A,.gl'AD Is hyislC, Aukkiesk RC USA NCR PC.B.s a oa0lmne,k of NCR inc. DMP52 ve,lamsk 01 H01.9On k.squn,,ns USA lküueys por,d10 end ,epo0ureb by uno J Cohn eonenx,, t oECJIIVE OFFICE INTERIORS PTV LTC. IMdb) 1: EDITOR Jon Fairall B.A. CONTENTS ASSISTANT EDITOR Mary Rennie B.A. DECEMBER EDITORIAL STAFF S. K. Hui B.Sc. (lions), M.Eng.Sc. MIEEE, MIREE 1986 Terry Kee B.Sc. (lions), M. Phil. DRAUGHTING Bruce Mennie Electroni s DESIGNER Brian Jones ART STAFF Ray Elrth PRODUCTION Today1' Mark Moes ADVERTISING MANAGER FEATURES Peter Hayes B.Sc. VLSI ADVERTISING PRODUCTION device testing 28 Brett Baker The modern circuit has called for new ways of testing ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANTS Louis Challis and Associates Biochemical computer chips 30 RF CONSULTANTS Better prospects in their cultivation Associated Calibration Laboratories PUBLISHER Instrumenting with PCs Michael Hannan 32 Watch out test and measurement here PC! MANAGING EDITOR - comes the Leo Simpson B.Bus. Inside your computer HEAD OFFICE 64 180 Bourke Road, (PO Box 227, Waterloo, NSW The communications standard 2017) Alexandria. NSW 2015. Electronic India Phone: (02) 693-6666. 68 Telex: AÁ74488, FEDPUB. Where amateur radio flourishes Federal Facsimile: (02) 693-2842. ADVERTISING Signalling African history 72 New South Wales Verification of changes in the dark Mark Lewis (02) 693-6666 continent Victoria and Tasmania Virginia Salmon (03) 662-1222 South Australia 89 Queensland The technical state Peter Hayes (02) 693-6666 South Australia and Northern Territory Dane Hansen (08) 212-1212 Buyers guide to CD players . 95 Western Australia What's available and what to look for Estelle de San Miguel New Zealand John Easton, 79-6648 (Auckland) Racecam at the Indianapolis 500 104 OFFICES Exporting some ATN-7 technology New South Wales: The Federal Publishing Company, 180 Bourke Road, Alexandria, NSW 2015. Phone (02) 693-6666. Telex: AA74488 REVIEWS FEDPUB. Victoria and Tasmania: The Federal Publishing Testing speaker cable Does expensive speaker cable really work? 22 Company, 23rd Floor, 150 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000. Phone: (03) 662-1222. Telex: ÁA34340, FEDPUB. Beat generation Casio RZ-1 sampling drum machine 82 South Australia and Northern Territory: John Fairfax & Sons, 101-105 Weymouth Street, Successful Impact Impact's Laser 400 printer 86 Adelaide, 5000. Phone (08) 212-1212. Telex: AA82930. Queensland: The Federal Publishing Company, 26 Chermside Street, Newstead, Old. 406. Phone: PROJECTS (07) 854-1119, Telex: M145520. Western Australia: Estelle de San Miguel, John ETI-283: Electronic lotto selector 39 Fairfax & Sons, 454 Murray Street, Perth, WA 6000. Phone: (09) 481-3171. Telex: AA92635 ETI-1533: 300 W switcher Part 2 46 New Zealand: 3rd Floor, Communications House, 12 Heather Street, Parnell, Auckland. PO Box 8770, Symonds St, 37-291. Telex N263122. Phone ETI-1616: 16-bit computer 54 79-6648 (Auckland). ETI-1407: Noise 44.0111111IW A reduction system 58 ELECTRONICS TODAY INTERNATIONAL is OFFERS published and distributed monthly by the Electronics Division of the Federal Publishing Toshiba/Goldring/ETI CD player competition 100 Company Pry Limited, 180 Bourke Road, Alexandra, NSW 2015 under licence from Double Subscriptions offer 106 Bay Newspapers Ply Limited, General Newspapers Pty Limited and Suburban Publications Pty Limited. Printed by Hannanpnnl. Sydney. Distnbuted by Magazine Promotions. 'Maximum and DEPARTMENTS recommended Australian retail price only. News Digest 6 Advertisers Index ' 9 Registered by Australia Post, Publication No NBP0407. ISSN No 0013-5216. Feed Forward 34 Dregs 110 COPYRIGHT° 1985, Double Bay Newspapers Ply Limbed, General Newspapers Pty Limited and Suburban Publications Ply Limited (trading as New Products 74 "Eastern Suburbs Newspapers"). COVER: Photography Peter Beattie, design Brian Jones. ETI December 1986 - 5 NEWS DIGEST Solar winners A group from the Joint Microelectronics Research Centre (JMRC) at the University of New South Wales, headed by Dr Martin Green, has announced the development of a solar cell with 19.1% efficiency. This significantly improves on the 11% to 13% efficiency typical of commercial cells. The news Is spectacular because the process that produced them is claimed to be commer- cially viable. The JMRC group first hit the the direct component of the news in October last year sun's radiation (typically when the team announced about three quarters of the the world's most efficient solar total). cell under unconcentrated Both systems are too ex- light. This glory had to be pensive for normal commer- shared a little later when a cial use. The Stanford model team from Stanford University has its price effectively set by developed a cell with an the sophisticated lensing and efficiency of 27.5%, but under seeking system. The high de- highly concentrated light. gree of purity required to The essence of the earlier achieve the JMRC result is JMRC development was to obtainable only at a price etch 10 µm grooves Into the too.